Melania Trump leaves president to deal with shutdown mess in Washington as she holidays at Mar-a-Lago with son

As the holidays approach amidst the threat of a looming government shutdown, First Lady Melania Trump headed down to Florida.

“It has long been the family’s tradition to spend their Christmas holiday at Mar-a-Lago," her spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham told reporter Kate Bennett. Her plans to travel with her son to their Florida home for his winter break have not changed this year."

Trump was scheduled to join the rest of his family but decided to stay in Washington, D.C. to deal with the fallout of his decision to shut down the federal government over funding for his proposed border wall.